Places for People and LandAid join forces with Wise Group to help prevent youth homelessness

In the UK, every four minutes a young person becomes homeless - last year alone this equated to nearly 124,000 16-25-year-olds. Evictions from social and supported housing are now the third leading cause of youth homelessness, rising by over 40% in a year - driven by family breakdown, rent arrears linked to the cost-of-living crisis, and the end of tenancies without affordable move-on options. 

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, PfP and LandAid will help up to 100 young people aged 16–25 across six regions of the UK through an online mentoring programme which aims to break this cycle with early intervention support.

The service forms part of a wider £120,000 joint investment by PfP and LandAid to deliver a programme to support young people across England and Scotland to stay in their homes and help them avoid breaking their tenancies.

The service combines live online learning, light-touch mentoring and practical guidance across areas including wellbeing, budgeting, confidence building, tenancy understanding and life skills.

Delivered through Glasgow and Paisley-based Wise Group’s Connect Mentoring, the service provides flexible, structured support designed to engage people earlier - before challenges escalate into crisis and will cover six geographical areas:

• Edinburgh - City centre & Leith, North and South East
• North East - Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead and South Tyneside
• North West - Manchester, Preston and Salford
• East Midlands - Nottingham and Derby
• Bristol - Central, East and South
• Kent - Thanet, Medway, Canterbury & Ashford

Importantly, the service is not designed to replace intensive support services. Instead, it plays a distinct preventative role - helping people stabilise earlier and engage with the right support before tenancies become unsustainable.

The model has been designed to work across multiple locations, providing accessible and consistent support regardless of geography.

Additional funding will also support partnerships with organisations including the YMCA in Newcastle, projects in Preston and Kent, and YMCA Derbyshire – each receiving up to £25,000 to deliver frontline support that helps individuals stay in their homes and avoid homelessness.

Marcus Hulme, director of places impact at Places for People, said: “Too many young people are at risk of losing their homes when earlier, practical support could help them stay on track. We want to change that.

“This partnership is about stepping in before problems reach crisis point – helping young people build the skills and confidence to sustain a tenancy and build a more secure future.

“By working together in this way, we can reach young people earlier and help prevent homelessness before it happens.”

Paul Morrish, CEO of LandAid, said: “We exist because of the commitment of our partners, and we are proud to announce this initiative with Places for People. Together, we are taking concrete steps to prevent homelessness and support people facing hardship across the UK.”

Sean Duffy from the Wise Group added: “If we are serious about preventing homelessness, we need support that reaches people earlier - and models that can scale. Connect Mentoring is designed to help people build stability, confidence and engagement before issues escalate further. This partnership gives us an opportunity to test how scalable, preventative support can strengthen tenancy sustainment pathways across multiple communities.”